Vegan Falafel Burger (Crispy Chickpea Patties)
This vegan falafel burger stacks a crispy, herby chickpea patty in a soft bun with creamy tahini sauce, fresh greens, and tangy pink pickles. Soaked dried chickpeas give the best crisp-outside, tender-inside texture – but I’ve added a quicker canned-chickpea version for when you haven’t planned ahead.
This is what happens when falafel grows up and decides to be a burger. All the crisp, herby, spiced goodness of falafel, but shaped to actually fit in a bun and stand up to toppings. I came up with it because falafel always rolls off the plate — a patty just makes more sense. Pack the mixture firmly and chill it before cooking, or it crumbles the second it hits the pan. Stuff it in pita or a bun and commit fully.
Why I keep coming back to these
- Crisp outside, tender in. Soaked chickpeas fry into a patty that actually holds its shape instead of rolling off the plate.
- Properly filling. Between the chickpeas and the tahini, this eats like a real meal, not a sad veggie option.
- Tastes like the real thing. Garlic, cumin, coriander, and a big handful of fresh herbs – it’s falafel, just in burger form.
- Yours to mess with. Swap the sauce, pile on different pickles, or go pita instead of a bun.
What goes into them
Chickpeas are the whole game here. For the best falafel – crisp, sturdy, properly textured – use dried chickpeas soaked overnight but left raw, never cooked. Short on time? There’s a quick canned version in the tips below; it comes out softer and a little more delicate, but it works.
Fresh herbs and warm spices are what make it taste like falafel and not just a bean patty. Don’t skimp on the parsley and cilantro, and toast the cumin and coriander first if you can.
Tahini sauce and the extras pull it together – a quick tahini, lemon, and garlic drizzle, plus soft buns, crunchy greens, and sharp pickled onion.
How to get them crisp (and to hold together)
- Quick version with canned chickpeas. No time to soak? Use 2 cans (about 480 g drained), rinse and pat them really dry, then add 3 to 4 extra tbsp chickpea flour to soak up the moisture. Pulse (don’t puree), chill well, and fry gently – softer than the classic, but ready in minutes.
- Don’t over-blend. Pulse to a coarse, grainy texture – a smooth paste turns wet and heavy.
- Chill before frying. Twenty to thirty minutes in the fridge is what stops them falling apart in the pan.
- Bake or air-fry. Brush with oil and bake at 400F, or air-fry, for a lighter version.
Make-ahead, storing, and freezing
- Fridge: store cooked patties for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: freeze shaped raw or cooked patties for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: warm in a pan or oven to bring back the crispy crust.
For more chickpea favorites, try our perfect vegan burger, this quick falafel in a pan, or learn how to use tahini in recipes.
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Vegan Falafel Burger
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large frying pan
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups chickpeas dried, soaked overnight (raw) – or see notes for a quick canned version
- 1 onion small, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup parsley fresh
- ½ cup cilantro fresh
- 1 ½ tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- Oil for frying
- 4 burger buns use GF buns for gluten-free
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 to 4 water
- Greens pickled onion, and tomato, to serve
Instructions
- Drain the soaked chickpeas well and pat dry. Do not cook them. Add to a food processor with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and salt.
- Pulse to a coarse, slightly grainy mixture that holds together when pressed. Add the baking soda and chickpea flour and pulse briefly to combine.
- Chill the mixture for 30 minutes, then shape into 4 thick patties.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the patties for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp.
- Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, and water into a smooth, pourable sauce.
- Toast the buns, spread with tahini sauce, and stack with a patty, greens, pickled onion, and tomato. Serve right away.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
For the crispiest, most authentic falafel, use dried chickpeas soaked overnight and left raw – canned chickpeas hold more water, so the patties come out softer and more fragile. That said, canned works fine as a shortcut: drain and rinse two cans, pat them very dry, add 3 to 4 extra tablespoons of chickpea flour to bind, pulse to a coarse mix, chill well, and fry gently.
The usual culprits are over-blending the mix to a wet paste, skipping the chill time, or using canned chickpeas without adjusting. Pulse to a coarse texture, chill before shaping, and if you go canned, pat them dry and work in extra chickpea flour.
The falafel patties are naturally gluten-free since they are made from chickpeas, herbs, and spices. Just use a certified gluten-free bun and check that your tahini and any extra binders are gluten-free, and the whole burger is safe.
Yes. Brush the shaped patties with oil and bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway, or air-fry until golden. They will be a little less crisp than pan-fried but still delicious and lighter.
Yes. You can soak the chickpeas and blend the mix a day ahead, or shape the patties and chill or freeze them. Cooked patties keep for up to 4 days in the fridge and reheat well in a pan or oven.
A creamy tahini sauce made with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and water is the classic choice. You can also use hummus, vegan yogurt with herbs, or a spicy harissa mayo for a different twist.
